You can save a lot of weight if lets say your installing a solid state drive or putting in a second hard drive but if you know that you use the CD/DVD disc drive a lot then you might just want to leave the drive alone.

Also wondering how much weight I'd save by just removing. My drive is broken for ages, but I have not needed it in ages. The HD was already replaced by a cheap SSD (second best thing after upgrading to 8GB), so I'd appreciate losing some weight. I mean, the computer. Although I could lose some too... erm... well, anyway, I guess the lack of the DVD would not interfere with anything, right? Opinions?

The issue is not one of weight but an issue with the systems cooling and an opening which objects could enter. For a few grams of weight I don’t think its worth it! A better solution would be to swap out the heaver HD for a much lighter SSD, and getting all of the performance benefits of the faster drive as well!

While you might not think it the optical drive also acts as a stiffener so there is less twist in the case. This is because of the size of the hole for the DVD/CD’s so taking it out weakens the case design.

this website is amazing. I read it to guide me on fixing my mac book pro, but on the video, the girl gives a wrong information.. She says that is not possible replace just the keyboard... But I managed to replace only my keyboard. It is boring because I have to remove approximately 70 screws but it is possible. Thanks a lot! You guys helped me save about US$300 thats because in Brazil some technicians would charge me with that amount!

Tip: Use one of those weekday pill holders to have a cheep way to store screws you remove and each day of the week can be for different sizes or parts. It has been handy to have (much less expensive than the magnetic mat.

Just want to say that this site is a great resource for repairing or upgrading your Mac. I had a bad SATA cable in my MacBook Pro and after ordering a new one from the "IFIXIT" site I received the cable within two days, replaced it and was up and running again in no time. Thanks IFIXIT for you help!

I have found that my MacBook Pro 13 Late 2011 has five shouldered screws and not four. I am not sure exactly where it goes but I have put it in the top left corner of the picture as it is the odd one out.

I found with mine that the shouldered and un-shouldered screws were reversed (the three un-shouldered screws going where the orange colour indicates). Also, I found that the front four screws went in at an angle.

I used 3 eggcups to hold the screws ;>) They are very fiddly and easy to drop on floor so keep the MacBook away from the edge of the surface you are using to avoid accidentally dropping a screw off the edge of a table, etc.

Since you’ll be removing many screws it’s best to plan ahead. I found it especially helpful to have a small plastic tray with about a dozen separate compartments to hold screws. As I removed screws I kept them in one compartment for each item removed. For example: The lower case removal involves the removal of ten screws. I kept them all in the first tray compartment and set the lid aside. Also, I put a post-it note identifying this compartment as “Lower case” and noted that the top right-most screws were the long ones. I continued with this methodology as a removed the next item, and the next, etc. Disassembly notes included for each compartment. This helped SIGNIFICANTLY as I was able to reassemble the Macbook easily by simply going from one compartment to the next (in reverse order). This guide is rated “Difficult” which it really isn’t when you plan ahead in this way. It saves time in the long run.

when putting the macbook pro back together, the middle screw on the right side (if the computer is upside down and you have the hinge furthest away from you) requires a bracket that was not included with my new upper case. i had to remove it from my old case and transfer it over - if you don’t do this, that screw will have nothing to attach to.

this was one of the many additional parts i needed to transfer from my old case to the new one that aren’t mentioned in this guide…i’m adding comments on each step to try to help others…i wish i had thought to take pictures.

The screws used on all Retina models, as well as about everything Apple has made since the iPhone 4, uses “PENTALOBULAR” not Phillips screws. These look like a TORX driver, but it has 5 concave sides. I believe the size you want is a P4 or T4. (1.2mm).

If you are following this guide to upgrade to a better drive and want to keep your system and data intact I highly recommend first following the guide to Clone an Existing Drive using the recommended free SuperDuper!. That process was a breeze and gives you confidence that the new drive will come up looking exactly the way it did when you started.

My top tip - make sure you buy good quality Phillips screwdrivers and a magnetic holder. Cheap screwdrivers won’t get the screws undone safely. Without a magnetic holder you have no chance of getting the tiny crews in and out safely.

Did you properly ground yourself to the case before putting the spudger to the connector/logic board? Did you use a spudger or something else that is non conductive...or did you use a flat blade metal screw driver instead and compound your error by not grounding yourself before touching the logic board? All kinds of variables here but the bottom line is iFixit provided you a guide to fix your computer. Lots of others have followed this guide without trouble. Your battery issues are not their fault. They did say this guide was moderate difficulty...maybe it's just a little beyond your skill level. We should all know our limits!

Rather than be careful of the corners of the connector i would say don't use the spudger anywhere near the corners. While the corner looks like the obvious place to begin to pry it up from, it will break. Levering from the sides as the instructions suggest works well.

Don't know what the deal is with the battery, but this IS a necessary step to keep from frying the logic Board if you accidentally touch something and short it out. I did this step every time during my troubleshooting and The battery was ALWAYS recognized by the system the next time I turned the MBP on. So be safe and don't fry your logic board in the process...

Prying the battery connector off does not take much force. I did exactly what the guide suggested (walked it off back and forth) with the spudger without any problems. Just be very gentle, much like with anything inside laptops, they are very fragile and need to be worked with carefully. A+ instructions, battery replacement was a success.

Installed/upgraded 4gb RAM to the system maximum 16gb and installed a 500 gb SSD today....DID NOT disconnect the battery cable....no issues at all when I powered back up. Then did a clean install of OSX Yosemite....next I used a time machine backup to put all my stuff back on the new HD. From start to finish it took about 4 hours. Macbook boots up right at 16 seconds now.

Its a lot easier and safer (corner wise) to pry it using the flat side of the black spudger directly in front of the connector (don't go/use the corners) very easily you will be able to pry it further by inserting the spudger into a better and thicker plastic section of the connector

DON'T remove the Battery Cable, you risk the battery NOT being recognised when you start the Mac up again, or breaking it!! More to the point, APPLE DOES NOT RECOMMEND THIS, so don't do it! I Installed 2x 8GB ( 16Gb total) of Crucial Mac RAM at 1333Mhz for my Late 2011 MacBook Pro, and it works beautifully, fully recognised and working well. I followed these instructions, but as Apple didnt recommend disconnecting the battery, I skipped this step, and as well as taking less time, nothing was damaged or broken, and everything works perfectly!!! Just make sure that you DISCHARGE ALL STATIC ELECTRICITY FROM YOUR HANDS, by touching a metal surface in the Mac. Apple recommends the edge of the Optical Disk Drive ( Big silver thing ) before touching any parts. Also, Take care removing the RAM out of its packet, DO NOT touch the Gold connectors, and hold the RAM by the edges. Finally, be PATIENT, GENTLE and it should all go perfectly. I managed it first time, with no technical ability, so follow my advice. Good luck!

This comment made me think that disconnecting the battery was no point at all, because really - how would the computer be able to switch on by it self. So... I had my mac flipped around and was fiddling with the last part of the guide when I all of a sudden hear the start up sound! Don't know how and why it did. I turned it around with it guts open and guts hanging out. Screen was on. I forced it to shut down by keeping the power button down. Turned it back and first thing removed the battery cord.

Luckily the computer started up just like normal. But hearing that sound was just too scary.

I removed the battery cable for the repair. When I plugged in the MagSafe adapter after the repair, the Mac turned on automatically without pressing the power button and I was a bit worried, but after a restart everything worked fine again. I did have to reset date and time in Preferences. The battery was recognized OK.

I always do this when working on MacBooks (over ten years) and it never caused an issue. Don’t worry about this step as removal of the battery connector is simple. This particular connector is pretty much goof-proof as it won’t break. I’m fairly aggressive and just pop it off whenever I’m working on the Macbook Pro.

The guide worked perfectly, as it has in the past (our family has three Mid-2012 Macbook Pros that have been separately upgraded with RAM and SSD).

The PH00 screwdriver fit perfectly.

One note on getting the screws to seat easily and thread perfectly...always turn them gently a couple turns to the left (CCW or Anti-Clockwise) until you hear a small click. That's where the threads will grab. Works with any screw, but when threads are fine, this will help ensure that the screw is at the correct angle and will grab and seat perfectly.

One other note: The screw heads fit flush with the curvature of the case -- which means that they aren't exactly horizontal. In other words, they aren't perpendicular to the table that the computer is resting on. Don't try to force them straight in vertically, because you'll risk cross-threading them. (nearly ruined one screw hole myself!)

I successfully soldered the fan connector back on for a friend. I used a small soldering iron (maybe 6-10 watts) and ground the tip down to a very fine point. Also used a magnifying light and very fine rosin core solder. I took my time and lined everything up and was careful not to heat any other junction unnecessarily.

This one is really delicate, as pointed out. Be careful if using the pointed end of a spudger NOT to dig down and under ….there’s a layer of plastic-y insulation that can be torn. I accidentally gored it with the pointy end of a spudger and it was slightly ripped. Fortunately, I was able to press it down and there was no problem when the cable was reinserted.

For less than $16 I ordered a new fan from amazon. Fans eventually start making noise. If they fail, your system could expire from heat. Consider simply replacing your fan since this model is now about five years old. Here’s link:

Wah. My screws got rounded out and the old fan is stuck in now. Anybody have a solution to get them out without frying the logic board? It definitely seems as if locktite has been used here. Has anybody else found evidence to support that?

IIRC the official service manual suggests putting the blunt or wide edge of a black-stick/spudger underneath the cable and then pressing down on said cable to provide better gripping force while pulling the cable out/away from the connector. It’s my tried-and-true method of choice.

On the mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro 5,5 the Airport/Bluetooth cable is different from the other three cables in this step. It's fabric wrapped, and its connection works in a fashion more like the display data cable connection, although it does not have a lock that releases by pulling a tab back over the cable. So, to those of you who are repairing this model, be careful. Prying upward is not the way to remove this cable. I played with it until I could detect which parts were moving which way and why. Although I can't say with precision how the connection works, I removed it by gently coaxing slightly up at an angle and back along the plane of the optical drive. The idea is to pull the cable back out of its socket while lifting slightly.

I ran into trouble reattaching the keyboard ribbon cable into the ZIF socket. I couldn't grasp it in a way that let me push it all the all back. A local repair guy told me his trick: use a piece of tape. Attach a piece of tape to the ribbon cable and make a tab so you can pull the cable into the socket. Use of a piece of tape that you can easily remove. Works like a charm.

After I put it all back together, the keyboard didn’t work; I traced it to this cable not being plugged in all the way. I used the tape trick to coax it all the way in to seat well and it works like a charm.

“Attach a piece of tape to the ribbon cable and make a tab so you can pull the cable into the socket. Use of a piece of tape that you can easily remove. Works like a charm.” <=== perhaps the best suggestion I’ve read in years!

The tape trick works. Since we’re in the middle of a home renovation project I used a piece of painters tape that was lying around. It doesn’t really stick to the cable but it just gives you that extra grip.

It’s worth pointing out that the lever to lift this is at the back of the connector and that you’re pulling it towards yourself - this then releases the plastic on top of the cable that’s holding it in place.

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The bottom of the small strip has excellent adhesive which will re-stick upon reassembly without any problems. I handled the sticky side and even stuck it to a plastic tray without any issues. Which is to say the sticky-ness does not seem to wear off.

The first time I reassembled the system I left this tiny ribbon connector under the logic board by accident. If your keyboard backlight no longer works after reassembly it’s because you forgot to reattach this small connector. Fortunately, I caught my mistake before securing the logic board screws. It’s an easy to miss item.

the sleep sensor/battery indicator were not included with my new case, i had to transfer them over from my old case. once the battery is out (step 22), you can see the three screws you need to remove in order to take it out. it’s also secured by adhesive. the button for the battery indicator will likely fall out (at least it did on mine) when you remove the board, so be careful not to lose it…my new case did come with the button for the battery indicator (even though it didn’t come with the board or cable), but i just re-used the old one.

On my mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro 5,5 the display data cable was square with the motherboard, rather than at an angle. I'm not experienced with working on computer connections, but if I were going to describe this procedure, it would be more like:

"Grasp the plastic tab on the end of the display data cable connection, and pull it gently back over the cable, toward the DC-in board. The tab is connected to a flat rectangular 'ring' that locks the cable to its connection, and when you pull the tab, the rectangular lock will flip back over the cable, allowing the cable to be removed by pulling the same direction, parallel to the surface of the motherboard."

Exactly the same as on the Mid2010 Model - never pull up, always parallel to the board, using the spudger to keep the cable down might helpfull while pulling with fingers the cable towards DC-In at the right side.

I used my phone to photograph the entire underside of the Macbook Pro before I started removing things. This photo helped augment the excellent photos here. Take a few close-ups of each section/item before disassembly to reference upon assembly.

when reattaching the display cable, i used the spudger to tuck the spongy top flap underneath the cable lock, so that i could then get the cable lock down the entire way. i couldn’t get it under there (and get the lock closed) without it, the top part of the display cable blocked it.

For keeping the screws straight I drew a simple diagram and placed them on it head down/threads up in their respective positions. Then all screws went back into their original positions without any guess work. Another suggestion I have during assembly is to start the screws without torquing them all the way down - leave them a little loose to allow some adjustment of the logic board for getting them all to line up with their holes, then torque them down. This technique also works for the screws on the bottom cover/lower case.

Great guide! Saved me some dough, and now my MagSafe connector stays nice and cool.

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The mic adhesive was the only adhesive which seemed diminished by disassembly. I don’t know what apple uses for internal adhesive but I finished the project wishing I had some to secure this mic assembly a little better.

I had the same issue. After wiggling the logic board back and forth and slowly applying more force, just up the threshold where I felt uncomfortable, it came out. The problem appeared to be caused by glue on the heatsink barcode sticking to the layer underneath.

Same experience here. I used a longish spudger slipped under the logic board to carefully separate the black backlight shield from the underside of the logic board. I suspect the processor and/or the GPU sticks the two together. Be careful and patient separating the backlight shiled...it is delicate..go slow and use minimal force...

I got the microphone cable out fine, but what I'm really struggling with is the camera cable - it doesn't seem to wanna come out and I don't want to force it because I know it's fragile. Anyone find a trick for this?

I did make the change yesterday. inside it has a thermal pad, that appears to be 3mm or less. i try to clean on my best. I make a making a very tick pea size and added again. but i have no idea if it works or not. still having temps on 56c on idle. there is no much info on that. i use MX-4 from arctic. but i still, in my option, a little to for my use. if someone have more info on that part on the late 2011 i7 macbook pro 13inch please send the info.

I did and applied Arctic Silver 5 underneath instead of the crap tape they put under there. This alone stopped the random freezing and rebooting problem I was having with this macbook pro. I recommend if you're already that deep into it, you might as well do it. I'm glad I did.

Need help. After I put everything back together, everything works fine but my macbook just wont charge. Any diagnosis on this? Anyone who can explain to me how the battery and the charging work in a Mac?

If this happened to me, I would first suspect I hadn't completely connected the DC-in board cable. If I hadn't just replaced the battery, I would wonder if the battery was good. MagSafe power cable connect connections fail too, especially if they've been attached for a long time to a red hot DC-in board.

I had this problem. I accidentally cut the a cable from the DC-in board and I had to buy this component and replace it. You have to be very careful when mounting back the logic board in its position to not get a cable from the DC-in board cut by the screws.

The magnetic MagSafe connector pins have a grey plastic frame which can be seen as you look at it from the outside, looking inwards at the port. This plastic frame eventually starts to crack and break-up over the years. It’s not a necessary part so if your MagSafe connector has broken grey plastic on the external end of the connector, remove the pieces as they’re there only for cosmetic reasons.

The fan exhaust grille was catching onto the speaker unit so I had to skip to step 28 to take it out. After taking out the airport card the speaker was able to move away from the fan grille and let me lift out the logic board.

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Awesome guide, I was able to complete the whole job (very slowly and carefully) in an hour start to finish. I am not an expert, I am just your average, everyday DIYer. I'm actually a medical student with an interest in engineering and "tinkering" looking to save money however I can. I would HIGHLY recommend this to every one of my friends (and I may even do this for some people). My keyboard doesn't get warm anymore, and my fan stays quieter doing more things. I'm now running 40-45 degree temps instead of 70-85 temps. Incredible. Like others on the internet, my computer had a TON of paste on it that was all over the CPU. I feel better now that I know how my computer was put together (by me). Good luck!

I also reapplied thermal paste under the heatsink on my early 2011 Macbook Pro. Temps are on average much lower, now my cpu almost never spikes above 70 C. I used the mac application Hardware Monitor to check temps in real time before and after. Previously doing pretty much anything on my MBP would cause the fan to spin at its max rpm and the computer was almost always hot to the touch. Now it's silent (also swapped the hdd for an ssd) and the fans almost never turn on at all!

Less is better, you want a very thin (think see through silk thin) coating between the CPU and the Cooler otherwise it acts as an insulator and causes more heat not less. just enough to make sure that no air is between the two.

After replaced the paste the fans started to work way more effectively. They used to run on full speed even on average CPU load for no effect -- it was still way too hot. Now it's back to how it was when the laptop was brand new. Thanks for the guide.

I've been seeing high CPU temps during relatively boring loads on my Macbook Pro 2011 for a while -- idle around 88º C and under even a moderate web browsing load consistently at 99º C, at which point the CPU was throttled down from its listed 2.7 GHz to 2 GHz or so.

I followed the guide here to replace the thermal paste and compiling a mid-sized C++ project became 23% faster, while resting temps are down to around 75º. The CPU now much more often hits its Turbo Boost frequency of 3.2 GHz, and the CPU fan is far more often at the lowest state of 2000 RPM (almost silent).

I followed this guide because of the comments posted here. I measured the temperature beforehand using the istats ruby gem. You can install this by entering the following command in the terminal: sudo gem install iStats

Then you can use the istats command in the terminal to get the current temperature.

I found that the applied thermal paste was hardened and not evenly distributed. I replaced it with Arctic MX-2 Thermal Compound.

Before this I found the CPU temperature at about 75° C + when running parallels with CAD Software. After the replacement, the idle temperature is 40°. For browsing the web and video playback it settles at 56°C +-2 °C . Using Parallels I now get a max Temp of 70° that quickly drops to 60° and after 20 seconds of idle even to 52°. This did not happen before, so I am very glad I replaced the thermal paste. Overall it took me a little more than 30 minutes, but I already had experience replacing components in the Macbook. Pretty sweet result for the time invested :)

Problem is that the screen doesn’t work. I tried to recheck the connection of the screen, and when I turn on the MBP, the screen turns on for milliseconds, and turns off. I connected a second screen, and I can see everything, but the main screen doesn’t work.

I looked up the screen connector, doesn’t seem different from before I dismantled…

If an external display works fine, it seems like that pretty much isolates it to a problem with the built-in display or board damage of some kind. Did you try re-seating the display connector? If not, unplug it, inspect it carefully for contamination or damage, and plug it back in. If it looks dirty, clean the connector and socket with a blast of compressed air, and/or give it a gentle wipe with some isopropyl alcohol. Inspect the display cable and make sure it’s not kinked or damaged. If you’re still stuck, check the forum for help. Good luck!